The Flames hoped Elliott would be the answer to their puck-stopping problems last season. He was sub-par for spurts, splendid for spurts and ultimately allowed to leave via free agency after a stinky showing in the playoffs. Instead of bringing back the man they call ‘Moose,’ the Flames traded for Smith, who has — so far, anyway — provided stability in Calgary’s crease. Elliott found work in Philly, signing a two-year pact with the Flyers on Canada Day, and you can bet he will be fired up to face his former mates in Saturday’s matinee. Elliott has allowed a grand total of seven goals in his past five appearances but has barely been getting any run support, with a 1-3-1 record over that stretch. Smith returns to action after missing one start due to an upper-body injury.

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FIVE STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

BAD BOYS

Both squads will be without one of their regulars Saturday due to suspension. Flames rabble-rouser Matthew Tkachuk was dinged with a one-game ban for unsportsmanlike conduct after his gentle poke at Red Wings tough guy Luke Witkowski — at the time, being escorted off the ice by a linesman after a game misconduct penalty — sparked a melee late in Wednesday’s 8-2 whipping in Detroit. Flyers defenceman Radko Gudas, meanwhile, can expect an extended sit-out. He was offered (but declined) an in-person hearing after a two-handed chop to the neck of Jets centre Mathieu Perrault during Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Winnipeg.

2. HERE’S JOHNNY!

This is a bonus home game for Flames star Johnny Gaudreau, who was raised less than a half-hour from Philly in Carneys Point, N.J., and was a fan of the Flyers up until Calgary’s management announced his name in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Gaudreau arrives on an eight-game point streak, with six goals and eight helpers over that superb stretch. He’s logged a pair of appearances at Wells Fargo Center, registering an assist in each.

3. DON’T FORGET FERLAND

With all the buzz about Gaudreau’s current roll, his first-line sidekick Micheal Ferland isn’t getting enough credit for one of the NHL’s most impressive scoring streaks of this season. Ferland has tickled twine in five consecutive contests and is one of only four marksmen to achieve that feat so far this fall, joining Nikita Kucherov (7), Patrik Laine (5) and Jason Zucker (5) in that exclusive club. With eight tallies, Ferland is tied for the team lead with Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

4. EVEN BETTER

Flyers centre Sean Couturier has a reputation as one of the NHL’s most reliable young middle-men in the defensive zone, but this season, he’s also been among the most dangerous at the opposite end. Skating between Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek on Philly’s top line, the 24-year-old Couturier scored once and added an assist in Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Jets and has piled up 11 goals and 21 points already. Heading into Friday’s action, he ranked fourth in the league with 19 points at even-strength.

5. WAIT, THERE’S MORE …

After surrendering four more man-advantage markers in Detroit, the Flames penalty-kill has bottomed out at 70.8%, worst in the league … Flyers C Nolan Patrick, the second-overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft, returned to action in Winnipeg after missing nine outings with a suspected concussion … There’s a double-header Saturday at Wells Fargo Center — after the Flyers-Flames matinee, the ice will be covered with hardcourt as the Philadelphia 76ers host the NBA’s defending champs, the Golden State Warriors.

This Week's Flyers

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